Matthew 21:25
English Standard Version
25 The baptism of John, (A)from where did it come? (B)From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, (C)‘Why then did you not believe him?’
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1 John 3:20
English Standard Version
20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.
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Mark 1:1-11
English Standard Version
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, (A)the Son of God.[a]
2 (B)As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,[b]
(C)“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
3 (D)the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
(E)‘Prepare[c] the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
4 (F)John appeared, baptizing in (G)the wilderness and proclaiming (H)a baptism of (I)repentance (J)for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, (K)confessing their sins. 6 Now John was (L)clothed with camel's hair and (M)wore a leather belt around his waist and ate (N)locusts and (O)wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, (P)“After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 (Q)I have baptized you with water, but (R)he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
The Baptism of Jesus
9 (S)In those days Jesus (T)came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he (U)saw (V)the heavens being torn open (W)and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And (X)a voice came from heaven, (Y)“You are my beloved Son;[d] with you I am well pleased.”
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John 10:25-26
English Standard Version
25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. (A)The works that I do (B)in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26 but (C)you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.
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John 3:18
English Standard Version
18 (A)Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not (B)believed in the name of the only Son of God.
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John 1:15
English Standard Version
15 ((A)John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, (B)‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)
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Luke 20:5
English Standard Version
5 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, (A)‘Why did you not believe him?’
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Matthew 3:1-12
English Standard Version
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
3 (A)In those days (B)John the Baptist came preaching in (C)the wilderness of Judea, 2 (D)“Repent, for (E)the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”[a] 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
(F)“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
(G)‘Prepare[b] the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”
4 Now John wore (H)a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was (I)locusts and (J)wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, (K)confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of (L)the Pharisees and (M)Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, (N)“You brood of (O)vipers! Who warned you to flee from (P)the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit (Q)in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, (R)‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from (S)these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. (T)Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 (U)“I baptize you with water (V)for repentance, but (W)he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you (X)with the Holy Spirit and (Y)fire. 12 His (Z)winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and (AA)gather his wheat into the barn, (AB)but the chaff he will burn with (AC)unquenchable fire.”
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- Matthew 3:2 Or the kingdom of heaven has come near
- Matthew 3:3 Or crying: Prepare in the wilderness
John 12:37-43
English Standard Version
37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 38 (A)so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
(B)“Lord, who has believed what he heard from us,
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
39 Therefore they (C)could not believe. For again Isaiah said,
40 (D)“He has blinded their eyes
and (E)hardened their heart,
lest they see with their eyes,
and understand with their heart, and turn,
and I would heal them.”
41 Isaiah said these things because (F)he saw his glory and (G)spoke of him. 42 Nevertheless, (H)many even of the authorities believed in him, but (I)for fear of the Pharisees they did not (J)confess it, so that they would not be (K)put out of the synagogue; 43 (L)for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
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John 5:44-47
English Standard Version
44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and (A)do not seek the glory that comes from (B)the only God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, (C)on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for (D)he wrote of me. 47 But (E)if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
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John 5:33-36
English Standard Version
33 (A)You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Not that (B)the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 He was a burning and (C)shining lamp, and (D)you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36 But (E)the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For (F)the works that the Father has given me (G)to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, (H)bear witness about me that (I)the Father has sent me.
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John 3:26-36
English Standard Version
26 And they came to John and said to him, (A)“Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, (B)to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and (C)all are going to him.” 27 John answered, (D)“A person cannot receive even one thing (E)unless it is given him (F)from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, (G)‘I am not the Christ, but (H)I have been sent before him.’ 29 (I)The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. (J)The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, (K)rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 (L)He must increase, but I must decrease.”[a]
31 (M)He who comes from above (N)is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and (O)speaks in an earthly way. (P)He who comes from heaven (Q)is above all. 32 (R)He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, (S)yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony (T)sets his seal to this, (U)that God is true. 34 For he whom (V)God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit (W)without measure. 35 (X)The Father loves the Son and (Y)has given all things into his hand. 36 (Z)Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; (AA)whoever does not obey the Son shall not (AB)see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
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John 1:25-34
English Standard Version
25 They asked him, (A)“Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, (B)“I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even (C)he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Behold, the Lamb of God
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, (D)the Lamb of God, who (E)takes away the sin (F)of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, (G)‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but (H)for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John (I)bore witness: (J)“I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and (K)it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but (L)he who sent me to baptize (M)with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, (N)this is he who baptizes (O)with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son[a] of God.”
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- John 1:34 Some manuscripts the Chosen One
John 1:6
English Standard Version
6 There was a man (A)sent from God, whose name was (B)John.
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Luke 7:28-35
English Standard Version
28 I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29 ((A)When all the people heard this, and (B)the tax collectors too, they declared God just,[a] (C)having been baptized with (D)the baptism of John, 30 (E)but the Pharisees and (F)the lawyers (G)rejected (H)the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)
31 “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,
“‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’
33 For John the Baptist has come (I)eating no bread and (J)drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man has come (K)eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, (L)a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 Yet (M)wisdom is justified by all her children.”
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- Luke 7:29 Greek they justified God
Luke 3:2-20
English Standard Version
2 during (A)the high priesthood of Annas and (B)Caiaphas, (C)the word of God came to (D)John the son of Zechariah in (E)the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming (F)a baptism of repentance (G)for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in (H)the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
(I)“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
(J)‘Prepare the way of the Lord,[a]
make his paths straight.
5 (K)Every valley shall be filled,
(L)and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
(M)and the crooked shall become straight,
and the rough places shall become level ways,
6 (N)and all flesh shall see (O)the salvation of God.’”
7 He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, (P)“You brood of (Q)vipers! Who warned you to flee from (R)the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits (S)in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, (T)‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from (U)these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 9 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. (V)Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 And the crowds asked him, (W)“What then shall we do?” 11 And he answered them, (X)“Whoever has two tunics[b] is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” 12 (Y)Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, (Z)what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, (AA)“Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, (AB)what shall we do?” And he said to them, (AC)“Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your (AD)wages.”
15 As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, (AE)whether he might be (AF)the Christ, 16 (AG)John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but (AH)he who is mightier than I is coming, (AI)the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you (AJ)with the Holy Spirit and (AK)fire. 17 His (AL)winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to (AM)gather the wheat into his barn, (AN)but the chaff he will burn with (AO)unquenchable fire.”
18 So (AP)with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. 19 But (AQ)Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, 20 added this to them all, that (AR)he locked up John in prison.
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Luke 1:67-80
English Standard Version
Zechariah's Prophecy
67 And his father Zechariah (A)was filled with the Holy Spirit and (B)prophesied, saying,
68 (C)“Blessed be the Lord (D)God of Israel,
for he has (E)visited and (F)redeemed his people
69 and (G)has raised up (H)a horn of salvation for us
(I)in the house of his servant David,
70 (J)as (K)he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 (L)that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 (M)to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and (N)to remember his holy (O)covenant,
73 (P)the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him (Q)without fear,
75 (R)in holiness and righteousness before him (S)all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called (T)the prophet of (U)the Most High;
for (V)you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
(W)in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the (X)tender mercy of our God,
whereby (Y)the sunrise shall (Z)visit us[a] (AA)from on high
79 to (AB)give light to (AC)those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into (AD)the way of (AE)peace.”
80 (AF)And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was (AG)in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
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- Luke 1:78 Or when the sunrise shall dawn upon us; some manuscripts since the sunrise has visited us
Luke 1:11-17
English Standard Version
11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of (A)the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and (B)fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for (C)your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and (D)you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will (E)rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be (F)great before the Lord. And (G)he must not drink wine or strong (H)drink, and (I)he will be (J)filled with the Holy Spirit, (K)even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and (L)he will go before him (M)in the spirit and power of Elijah, (N)to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and (O)the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, (P)to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
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Mark 11:27-33
English Standard Version
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
27 (A)And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28 and they said to him, (B)“By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John (C)from heaven or from man? Answer me.” 31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, (D)‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—(E)they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was (F)a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
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Matthew 17:12-13
English Standard Version
12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but (A)did to him whatever they pleased. (B)So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 (C)Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
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Matthew 11:7-15
English Standard Version
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out (A)into the wilderness to see? (B)A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man[a] dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? (C)A prophet?[b] Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written,
(D)“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 (E)From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,[c] and the violent take it by force. 13 (F)For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is (G)Elijah who is to come. 15 (H)He who has ears to hear,[d] let him hear.
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- Matthew 11:8 Or Why then did you go out? To see a man…
- Matthew 11:9 Some manuscripts Why then did you go out? To see a prophet?
- Matthew 11:12 Or has been coming violently
- Matthew 11:15 Some manuscripts omit to hear
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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